I TOLD THE REAL ESTATE AGENT...

That I have always lived on the edge and I wanted a place with a view. Somewhere that I could drop off the face of the Earth.
Here are some other locations that were suggested. I think I was taken a bit too literally.




We've had some breezes the past few days, which has cleared the air considerably. Not totally clean but a hell of a lot better. Looking for temps back in the 100's early next week.

The Republicans are working to find something to do with Bush at this year's convention. Just what is the big question.

"Let's all be careful out there!"

60 YEARS 7 MONTHS 22 DAYS 1 HOUR 50 MINUTES

When this post went "live" today, that is how long I have lived on this planet.

• 1,913,766,600 seconds
• 31,896,110 minutes
• 531,601 hours (rounded down)
• 22,150 days (rounded down)
• 3164 weeks (rounded down)

Here is where you can do your own calculations.



Forbes best counties in the USA to raise a family. And a listing, unknown by whom, of the 10 best places to live in the USA. Don't agree with all their choices. Do you?

The Nathan's hot dog eating competition ended in a tie yesterday and had to go into "overtime".

This guy certainly meets the definition of "deadbeat". Those "heart attacks" are going to cost him some time and money.

HERO

Italy has placed the ancient city of Pompeii under a STATE OF EMERGENCY. Considering that it was destroyed in 79ce, thats pretty rapid response, wouldn't you say? Interesting video on that link.

As I've suspected, intelligence isn't a requirement for being an on-air news personality.

100,000 Bottle Rockets in 15 seconds:


Not exciting enough?
Then how about 3.2 million firecrackers. Taking the "Superstring" theory to a new realm:


Of course, if you want pyrotechnic displays, you have to go back to the source:
The 1,676 foot Taipei 101 tower on New Years Eve -


"Let's all be careful out there!"

DAILY CHUCKLE - 7/5

"Let's all be careful out there!"

THE GOOD NEWS IS...

LESS THAN 200 DAYS OF DUBYA LEFT!

He made Cheney look like a liberal:


The National Park Service may reopen access to the Statue of Liberty's Crown. Its been closed to public access since 9/11. I remember when you could go up the torch arm.

The planet Mercury is shrinking. Now that Pluto has been reclassified as a "Plutoid", Mercury has become the smallest planet in the solar system.

Unless you want to look like a piece of worn out shoe leather, it is time to start using sunscreen. Nothing less than spf-30 and make sure it has coverage of uvA and uvB rays. Remember, the Sun is NOT your friend.

Talk about being a day late and a dollar short:


Well, I have spent my first Fourth Of July back on the mainland. Talk about peaceful. Oh, there were the illegal pyrotechnic displays in this fireprone bone dry state. But nothing to compare with what was normal for Mau'i. A light whiff of cordite waifing through the evening's breeze. Not choking. Not thick enough to impair vision. And no attacks on my cab by teen terrorists sporting bottle rockets and roman candles. I also did not see any of the neighbors discharging the legal "safe & sane" available in California.

Never once had the feeling of being in a combat zone. The sound never loud enough to drown out the tv's audio. A peaceful night.

I hope everyone is enjoying their 3 day weekend. I'll be back later with more. Hope you can come back by.

"Let's all be careful out there!"

I AM A PATRIOT

"Let's all be careful out there!"

THE HAPPIEST NATION IN THE WORLD

Every year, since 1981, the National Science Foundation has done a World Values Survey. Always asking the same two questions.

1. Taking all things together, would you say you are very happy, rather happy, not very happy, not at all happy?
2. All things considered, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole these days?

This time around the USA came in 16th. The winning nation was Denmark.

You know what is becoming popular in China? Pole dancing.
I guess lap dancing is second year curriculum.
BTW - Take a few minutes and enjoy this article's slideshow of images from around the globe.


I would have loved to have been the proverbial "fly on the wall" when the cracker company Chez-It decided to commission a sculpture of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. A scupture made from a one ton block of cheddar cheese.
I know where we can get some tomatoes real cheap. Lets make some nachos!



"Let's all be careful out there!"

DAILY CHUCKLE - 7/4

"Let's all be careful out there!"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

AMERICA


If you are an American sports figure, a celebrity, listed on Forbes or Fortune, then the odds are you have had your privacy violated by government workers and government contractors with access to restricted gov't computer systems. Especially those of the US State Dept. Some individuals files have been accessed thousands of times, even though there is only a necessity to access only once every 5 years. The article deliniates what possible crimes could be used for prosecution but the wording is so vague that a good defense attorney would easily acquire an acquittal.

Viacom, the media conglomerate, won a court decision forcing Google/YouTube to release all information about its users. Google is trying to get the court to allow it to delete any info that could be used to identify individuals.

One thing that McCain and Obama have in common. They are both "southpaws".

The detention center at Gitmo is going to be closed. Thats a given. But exactly when is unknown. Some prisoners will be returned to their native country. Some will be charged with crimes but 120, or so, are a problem. The gov't feels they are too dangerous to release but there will probably never be enough evidence to convict them of any crime. The gov't doesn't want them released but don't our laws require a person to be charged with a crime to remain in detention? Unlike our Civil War, when Lincoln suspended the rule of habeas corpus, that rule is still in effect and must be adhered to.

I haven't found an embeddable version of this video, yet, but an amateur camera man videoed a van full of oxygen tanks and gasoline explode when the driver lit a cigarette. The van's driver is in the hospital and is expected to recover from his burns. No one else was injured.

ICANN, the organization that assigns the names, numbers and domains for websites had it own site stolen yesterday.

Thank you for taking the time on our national holiday to stop in for a visit. I'll have more later.


"Let's all be careful out there!"

WHAT A DIFFERENCE...

A YEAR MAKES

Last year at this time, the national average price for a gallon of gasoline was $2.95. This year, we are at a national average of $4.10. California drivers would love to see their prices as low as the national average. And crude slid past the $145 per barrel mark earlier today.

Another 62,000 jobs were lost in the US last month. The sixth straight month of decline for 438,000 since the first of the year.

And those looking for work in Maryland weren't being aided by their State's "Job Hot-line". A misprint in the State's Family Health Administration's Website connected callers to a "women looking for sex" porn number. Oops.

From Duluth, MN we have a new entry in my Lex Luthor Doesn't Exist (LLDE) file.

In you are near Coney Island tomorrow, don't forget that the annual Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest will be taking place. Check local media for details.


"Let's all be careful out there!"

HE ONLY WILL OBEY THE LAWS...

THAT HE BELIEVES IN.

On Tuesday, the 1st, California's new cell phone law went into effect. Yesterday Beverly Hills police affected a stop on an individual in violation. As the officer made his approach to the vehicle, the suspect sped off and the chase was on. He was caught.

You know who the winner is in these high gas prices? Your local governments.

Former boxing champion Mike "Let me bite your ear" Tyson is in a world of hurts.

Have you run out of Viagra? Try substituting watermelon.

Planning a wedding? A Japanese company is taking reservations to conduct the ceremony in space.

China is cracking down on entertainment venues that offer more than one would consider standard.

Conserving water can cost you a lot of money.


"Let's all be careful out there!"

DAILY CHUCKLE - 7/3

"Let's all be careful out there!"

THE LEFT HAND AND RIGHT HAND...

HAVING NO IDEA OF WHAT THE OTHER IS DOING

The Federal Trade Commission advises everyone to not carry their Social Security Card (SSN) on their person. This is to prevent identity theft. But if you have associations with the Pentagon or Medicare, you are mandated to have your SSN with you. Military ID cards use an individual's SSN as their service number and, of course, members of the military are required to always have that ID card on their person. Individuals who are covered by Medicare insurance must also carry an agency specific ID card. A card that uses their SSN as their ID number. I think all the states have finally stopped using the SSN as the driver's license number.

Do you ever get the feeling that NASA hires former Radio Shack sales people to design and build their systems? The Phoenix Mars Lander suffered a short circuit in its "shake and bake" oven when doing its first test of soil samples. Scientists are worried that the next test could be its last. See what happens when you out-source to some Asian country to save on costs.

In 1995, Chicago's mercury topped out at 106°f (41°c). In 2003, France spiked at 104°f (40°c). The sad thought is that in the near future we will look back at those temps and say how lucky they were to have had it so cool. Where I am now living, temps usually reach 114°f - 118°f (45°c - 48°c) every summer. The hottest temp ever recorded on Earth was 136°f (58°c), in Al' Aziziyah, Libya.

This is an amazing story:


Dubya sure has taken care of his friends. At the cost of how many American lives? Oil money from Iraq is pure blood money. Of course, he denied any knowledge but it turns out he knew months before the deal was closed.

McCain is shaking up his campaign staff.

Its official! Guinness has certified the recent Firefox-3 download as the most downloaded program in a single day. Also a new study states that Firefox users are the safest on the web.



George Washington's boyhood home has been located. No information if the chopped down cherry tree was located or the "dollar" he allegedly threw across the Potomac River.

Get through today safely. The three day weekend starts tomorrow. Thanks for coming over and, please, have a safe & sane Fourth!

"Let's all be careful out there!"